Rocky Mount, N.C. - The N.C. Wesleyan baseball team christened its new John Alden Scoreboard at Bauer Field on Monday afternoon by securing a series sweep of the University of Maine-Presque Isle. The state-of-the-art scoreboard came to life during the Bishops' 20-1 victory over the Owls.
Bauer Field's most recent addition was made possible via a generous donation by former Battling Bishop John Alden, who was the starting catcher in Wesleyan's inaugural game versus Windham College of Vermont back in 1961. A continuous supporter of the college's Moe Bauer Endowment, Mr. Alden possesses tremendous admiration for his former coach and is humbled to honor him in this way.
The new inning-by-inning scoreboard measures 36 feet in length and sits down the right field line, featuring prominent LED lighting and offering customizable team names. The bottom panel proudly pays tribute to Wesleyan's two National Championship teams and offers a graphics panel that can be used for fan engagement and/or advertisement. Setting off the design is a lighted "W" at the top of the structure.
The first run on the new scoreboard went to the Bishops as senior Tony Sanchez plated Logan Andrews with an RBI-groundout in the first inning. Wesleyan went on to plate 18 runs over the next three innings, highlighted by homeruns by Sanchez and Andrews. Sophomore Nate Gardner (1-0) picked up the win on the mound, tossing five shutout innings and striking out four.
Previously on Saturday, Wesleyan posted 11-1 and 7-2 wins over the Owls. Senior hurlers Ryan Grant (1-0) and T.J. Wilkie (1-0) helped claim the twinbill sweep with their first victories of the season. As a team, the Bishops batted .446 in the series, led by freshman Brad Pennington's 7-for-8 showing at the plate. Sanchez collected a team-best seven RBIs, with Andrews scoring a team-high five runs.
Wesleyan is now 5-1 on the season. The Bishops travel to St. Andrews University on Wednesday for a 2:00pm non-conference tilt, then open up USA South play at home on Friday when they kick off a 3-game set with Averett University. Friday's first pitch is slated for 2:30pm at Bauer Field.